Police: Man tried to abduct 2 children from Queen Anne school

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SEATTLE -- Seattle police are looking for a man who tried to abduct two young boys from an after school program at Coe Elementary school on Queen Anne.

It happened Thursday after school while the boys were attending the Coe Child Care Center which is operated and staffed by the Boys & Girls Club of King County.

"It's a parent's worst nightmare to think someone could come and snatch your kid," said Judy Henrichs, who has a child who attends Coe Elementary.

The man told staff at the Coe Child Care Center he was there to get the boys for their father, who was having car trouble. According to police, the man knew the full names of both children.

"It's terrifying," said Brooke Krog, another parent at the school.

A staff member followed the programs safety protocols, asking the man for identification before releasing the children to go with him. But he never showed up in the office to present his ID so staff called the boy's father who said his car never broke down and no one was sent to pick up his kids.

"I'm glad that they put something in place and that it worked," said Frederick Wolff, whose children attend Coe Elementary. "Hopefully they'll be able to track down this person."

The CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of King County released a statement to KOMO 4 News that reads in part:

"Child safety is the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County's number one priority.At this time, we are focusing on assisting detectives to ensure that all Club members are kept safe. We have a strict safety policy that we will continue to follow to ensure that all Club members, staff and surrounding community members are protected."

The Principal of Coe Elementary also sent an email to parents informing them of the attempted abduction.

"We are grateful that we have such an alert community and alert administration to catch these kinds of things," said Henrichs.

Police describe attempted kidnapper as a white male in his late 40s or 50s who weighs180 pounds and has a medium to heavy build. He has grey hair and stubble and was wearing a beige winter coat and baseball cap.